The voicemail
On Sunday morning, I woke up to a very pleasant, three minute voice-mail from about 3am the night before. It was a certain UQ player giving me the full run down of their win over Wilston Grange that day, and I must say, he didn’t do a bad job explaining things (while giving himself a little pump up). Any guesses who?
Options are good
There were no surprises when Bailey Scott’s name was read out on Saturday afternoon as the Queensland MVP for the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships. Scott was the hardest working midfielder on the ground, got to fantastic spots all carnival, has great foot skills, and can hook a ball around his body a huge distance. With his dad, Robert, playing over 100 games for both Geelong and North Melbourne, and Bailey himself being a member of the Gold Coast SUNS Academy, come draft night 2018, he could have three clubs chasing him. There is a lot of water to go under the bridge before then, but it could be an interesting couple of years.
History making
Flick Angliss made history on the weekend, becoming the first ever UQ female player to reach the 50 game milestone. Angliss was one of the pioneers of the Red Lionesses’ women’s team in 2013, and three and a half seasons later she’s still there.
Two horse race?
The race for the Ray Hughson Medal, as the QAFL leading goal kicker is really heating up. Just the one goal separate Daniel Green (54) from Surfers Paradise, and Josh Baxter (53) from Labrador. Both spearheads have been the main men in the forward lines this year, so you know they are going to get a good look at the sticks in the remaining five rounds. Baxter has been Mr. Consistent so far, kicking four goals on six occasions, but it has been Green, who has kicked 21 in the last three games, making a late charge.
Queensland Under 18 flavour in NEAFL QClash
When Gold Coast took on Brisbane in the NEALF QClash on Saturday, the teams were stacked with Queensland Under 18 talent. Nick Kempe, Jack Bowes, Brad Scheer, Curtis Marsden, Josh Williams, Daniel Charlesworth, Jacob Dawson, Jesse Esam and Max Spencer all played for the SUNS, while Jack Rolls, Will Fletcher and Jacob Allison played for the Lions. That’s a staggering 12 under 18 players in the one NEAFL game. The standouts on the day were Scheer and Bowes, who starred for the SUNS. Scheer finished with 24 touches, while Bowes had 19 and kicked a goal.
Player for a day
Every dreamed of getting the full AFL player experience, with training, facilities, and a game on Metricon? Well you’re in luck. Labrador and the Gold Coast SUNS are giving people the chance to be a player for the day at one of the Gold Coast home games this month. From a training day, to a curtain raiser, you’ll do it all. Who knows, the club scouts might even be watching. More info here
By Andrew Wiles
Follow @andrewjwiles
